We were recently pleased to hear that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will be developing a new guideline on primary brain tumours and cerebral metastases.
This is something that we have been calling for, particularly when it looked like the existing guidance for brain tumours was going to be put on a ‘static list’, meaning that it would not be updated unless very important new evidence came to light.
NICE guidelines are important as they make recommendations to health professionals about how to manage different conditions, based on the best available evidence. The existence of guidelines like these make it much more likely that people will be treated in the same way regardless of where they live. This fits with the goals in our five year strategy to ensure equal access to the best treatment and care.
We will be feeding into the development of the new guideline over the next year, for example by responding to consultations that inform its development.